India Today Best Medical Colleges 2012: AIIMS is the clear winner

Courses are reviewed every six months at AIIMS. That is reason enough for it to top the charts year after year.

For years Paritosh Sharma, 20, was a man on a mission. Ever since he was in high school, he was consumed by a singular aim: To get admission into the MBBS course at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. After his Class XII Board exams, Sharma put himself through two years of rigorous coaching and finally passed the test in his second attempt. Looking back now, at all those countless hours of endless study, Sharma feels no regret. "It was completely worth it. AIIMS has the best teachers and medical facilities in the country," says this proud MBBS student from Rajasthan.

Each year, between 30,000 and 35,000 candidates appear for the All India Pre-Medical Test out of which only 77 make it to AIIMS. Being given the opportunity to select only the very best students is the institution's biggest strength, says Dr Y.K Gupta, head of pharmacology. Like every year, Delhi's AIIMS has once again grabbed the top position in the India Today Nielsen survey of best medical colleges. "The curriculum of our MBBS course for undergraduates is dynamic and contemporary. A committee meets every six months to ensure that our courses remain relevant," says Gupta. Over 434 teachers in 50 departments train 715 undergraduate and 1,219 postgraduate students using innovative and interactive methods to ensure that these super-achievers continue to stay motivated long after the euphoria of getting admission into AIIMS has passed. Besides initiatives taken by the faculty, it is the institute's reputation however that provides a big advantage to students.

As the institute also houses the country's most famous hospital, a large number of patients from all over India arrive here daily, allowing students to observe and study a number of unusual medical cases, besides a host of common diseases. "Our students are exposed to the rarest of rare cases at AIIMS and are taught how to treat them," says Gupta.

Location also plays a role. With a campus situated in the heart of the Capital, students are able to attend numerous medical conferences, seminars and research events that introduce them to new medical technologies and surgical techniques. The institute itself organised over 150 medical conferences in 2011. Such exposure helps students become aware of the latest advances in the field of medicine and teaches them to think beyond their textbooks. In addition, AIIMS is constantly offered collaborative projects from across the globe. In 2010-11 alone, over 500 research projects were conducted for which the institute received grants worth more than Rs 50 crore. AIIMS published an impressive 1,611 papers in various national and international journals apart from 259 articles in books and monographs. Students can access all these articles at the campus library that is open 24x7.

"Studying at AIIMS has clear advantages. For example, only five to six students work at one table in the dissection labs while in other institutes, the ratio is about 30-40 students per table," says first-year MBBS student Himanshu Menon. Because of its reputation, several patients volunteer to donate their bodies for scientific research after their demise. "We are planning to give some cadavers to other colleges where there is short supply," says a faculty member who refused to be named.

Once a year, even the most hardcore nerd on campus puts down his books and joins thousands of students who arrive from all over the city to attend Pulse, the popular annual fest, which is organised entirely by students. The final barometer of success is, of course, the 'AIIMSonians'-alumni who have gone on to earn a name on the national and international stage. "Many AIIMSonians occupy positions in reputed hospitals, others are involved with the Government at the policy level," says Gupta. Some famous AIIMSonians include Padma Bhushan Dr P. Venugopal; dean of continuing education courses, Harvard Medical School, Dr Sanjeev Chopra; and V. Ramalingaswami, renowned medical scientist and former AIIMS director. Given that the institute continues to remain India's premier medical college, it is only expected that many more AIIMSonians will add their names to the list of medical luminaries.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi

If AIIMS faces any competition, it comes from Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore. CMC has gained immensely from the synergy of a well-reputed hospital, established consciously away from any major city, and run with tremendous commitment. It is to its credit that patients from the farthest corners of the country are ready to travel to Vellore, about 125 km from state capital Chennai, for treatment. First launched as a medical school in 1918, CMC evolved into a medical college for women in 1942 with a single MBBS course. Men were admitted only in 1947. Today, 2,000 students are enrolled 150 different postgraduate courses in the medical, nursing and allied health disciplines.

"Not to be ministered unto but to minister," is the motto of the college that holds the all-India CMC Vellore common entrance test for admission to MBBS and other undergraduate courses. Among its alumni are several public health specialists who have broken away from the traditional mould. They include civil rights activist Binayak Sen, who worked for years among the tribals in Chhattisgarh, and Magsaysay Award winner Rajnikant Arole who developed a comprehensive healthcare system along with his wife Mabelle at Jamkhed in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

"We are conscious of the gap that exists between what we are and what we would be, so we continue to strive to ensure that our growth in size and numbers is matched by a growth in the depth of our caring and commitment, in our effectiveness, our sensitivity and our reaching out," says Dr Suranjan Bhattacharji, director, CMC Vellore. In this mercenary age, CMC still produces medical professionals ready to offer unflinching public service to the nation.